NTSB urges safety technologies be made standard

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WASHINGTON — The government should require automakers to make the latest collision-prevention technologies standard equipment on all new cars and trucks, a move that could reduce fatal highway accidents by more than half, federal accident investigators said Wednesday.

The technologies include lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, and electronic stability control. They are available on many vehicles already, although some are limited primarily to higher-end models. The National Transportation Safety Board said they should be required on all vehicles, despite the auto industry’s concern that doing so could add thousands of dollars to the cost of a car.

‘‘We don’t want safety to be only for the people who can afford it,’’ said the board’s chairman, Deborah Hersman, adding that the cost per vehicle of mandated technologies usually drops as they become widespread.

Such technologies can prevent accidents that involve running off the road, rear-ending another vehicle, and lane-change maneuvers, the board said. Those types of accidents account for 60 percent of fatal crashes. There were more than 32,000 traffic deaths in the United States last year.

The Obama administration ‘‘should establish performance standards where still needed and mandate that these technologies be included as standard equipment,’’ the board said. ‘‘With such promising potential to improve highway safety, this technology should be robustly deployed throughout the passenger and commercial fleets.’’

Electronic stability control, which automatically applies brakes to individual wheels to restore control, is already required for new passenger vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds. But large pickup trucks, 15-passenger vans, and commercial trucks that exceed that weight aren’t included.

Lane-departure warnings alert drivers when a car wanders into another lane without signaling. Adaptive cruise control uses sensors to read traffic conditions and modulate the throttle and brakes to keep the car a safe distance from the vehicle in front of it. Forward-collision systems monitor the roadway in front of the car and warn of an impending collision. Some forward-collision systems will apply the brakes if the driver does not act to avoid an imminent collision. Similarly, automatic braking helps avoid a collision with another vehicle, person, or obstacle.

The recommendations also includes tire-pressure monitoring systems and speed-limiting technology for commercial trucks. They are part of the board’s annual list of ‘‘10 most wanted’’ safety improvements. The NTSB does not have power to regulate but its recommendations carry significant weight with Congress.

Some of the technologies were on the list in 2008, and the board previously made piecemeal recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it set performance standards for some of the technologies or require manufacturers to include them in some vehicles. But this is the first time the board is telling regulators and automakers that this new generation of technologies should be required, safety advocates said.

The recommendation got a chilly reception from automakers, which said it could drive up the cost of a new car.

Systems that warn drivers of an impending collision but don’t automatically brake cost $1,000 to $3,000 per vehicle, depending on the features, according to government estimates cited by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Systems that both warn the driver of an impending collision and apply the brakes if the driver doesn’t act cost about $3,500, the alliance said.

“The choice to purchase one or more belongs to consumers,’’ said Gloria Bergquist, vice president of the alliance.